The lecture will have three aims: (1) to identify the most fundamental Catholic teachings about Christ’s presence in the Eucharist in their historical context; (2) to explain how it is possible to offer a rational account of these teachings, with particular attention to the idea of transubstantiation; (3) to compare a Catholic understanding of the Eucharist with the views of other Christian communities on this basic matter of Christian faith.

Speaker Bio:

Bruce D. Marshall is the Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at Southern Methodist University. He specializes in Medieval and Reformation theology and systematic theology. His research interests include the doctrine of the Trinity, Christology, philosophical issues in theology, sacramental theology, and Judaism and Christianity theology. He is the author of several publications, including Trinity and Truth (Cambridge University Press, 2000), Christology in Conflict: The Identity of a Saviour in Rahner and Barth (Blackwell, 1987), "The Dereliction of Christ and the Impassibility of God," in Divine Impassibility and the Mystery of Human Suffering, ed. Thomas Joseph White, O.P. (Eerdmans, 2009), "Utrum Essentia Generet: Semantics and Metaphysics in Later Medieval Trinitarian Theology," in Trinitarian Theology in the Medieval West, ed. Pekka Kärkkäinen (Helsinki: Luther-Agricola Society, 2008). In addition, he is the author of Theology and Dialogue: Essays in Conversation with George Lindbeck (University of Notre Dame Press, 1990). He earned his BA from Northwestern University, M.A.R. and Ph.D. from Yale Divinity School.